Plate printing machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(NeMeaeI.)

H. LEE. PLATE PRINTINGr MACHINE.

Peteneea July 26, 1892.

l/\ l lllllnAW IIIILIIL INVENTOR- ATTEST.

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2 sheets-sheet 2.

(No Model.)

H. LEE. PLATE PRINTING MACHINE.

No. 479,516. Patented July 26, 1892.

FIC-3.3.

INVENTOR.

F'IG.6.

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. y fawn mum wAsNmmun n c UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE` HOMER LEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLATE-PRINTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of' Letters Patent No. 479,516, dated July 26, 1892.

Application filed September 13,1887. Serial No. 249,585. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plate-Printing Machines, fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates generally yto plate-r printing-machines and particularly to that class of machine wherein the bed or plank travels horizontallyin a quad ran gular or other polygonal path.

In this class of machines it is common to employ two or more beds or planks, which are moved in the polygonal path by an endless chain that is turned at the corners or termini of each path by passing suitable supportingrollers. Each bed as it is carried by the chain from one roller to the other travels in a right line, and the roller at the end thereof suddenly changes the direction of its travel into another right line at an angle to the iirst named. This sudden change of direction imparted to the travelingbed causes a shock to be imparted to the machine at each of its corners, which, augmented by the number of beds employed, becomes exceedingly injurious to the machine.

The object of the present invention, among other things, is to provide this class of machines with means whereby the shock occasioned at each corner by the change in direction of the travel of the bed orbeds is obviated or reduced to the minimum.

To this endit consists in certain novel combinations of parts and details of construction too fully hereinafter described to need particular mention here.

1n the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a plate-printing machine of the kind heretofore referred to, certain parts being in section. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of the same, showing one of the beds ina slightly-difterent position. Fig. 2*is avertical section taken on the line a; of Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of the automatic plate-polisher. Figs. 4 and 6 are detail sectional elevations ot modified forms of the cushioning apparatus, and Fig. 5 is a detail plan of a bunter or guide for the bed.

The machine taken for illustration consists of a suitable frame A, of rectangular form, provided on its upper surface with a way for the support and passage of one or more traveling plate-carrying beds B, which have motion imparted to them by a traveling endless chain or belt C, to which each bed is connected by studs or other device 20. The travel of the plate-carrying bed being in a polygonal path, the endless chain is supported by suitable rollers 21, so that it is guided at each of the angles in the path from one direction into another at an angle thereto, and thus the chain and bed travel together. M0- tion is given to the endless chain C from a driven shaft 22 through bevcl-pinions 23 24, intermediate shaft 25, and another pair of bevel-pinions (not shown) to the sprocketwheel 26, by which said chain is engaged.

Located adjacent to the end of the travel of the bed B in one direction, so that it is met just at the time and point it is about to change its direction of travel, there are provided cushioning apparatuses D, against which the moving bed contacts, its momentum in one direction considerably reduced or wholly stopped, but adapted to move past the cushioning apparatus as its change of direction is effected.

The cushioning apparatus may be of any of the known forms, so long as no part thereof is carried by the bed in its travel in the polygonal path described. As herein shown, however, it consists of a cylinder 19, suitably bolted to the side of the machine-frame and containinga piston, the rod of which projects into the path traveled by the bed and provided on its end with a contacting-piece or buffer 17 against which the bed contacts and of such shape as to allow it to readily draw away or slide along its face on the commence ment of its travel in another direction. This contacting-piece 17 is provided with rods 16, which enter openings in the side of the cylinder, and thus guide the piece in its reciprocations and prevent it from turning or becoming out of alignment with the bed. The cylinder at its outer end has a head 5, carrying a vent-cock 15, by which the air wit-hin the cylinder may be relieved, rendering its cushioning effect variable, and the head also carries a valve 2, opening inwardly and adapted to permit air to be drawnlin as the piston moves in one direction and to close and prevent the escape of air when it moves in the opposite direction by the force of the bed. The contacting-piece and its piston may be returned to their initial position, as in Fig. l, by a spring 3, arrangedaroundthe piston-rod between the piston-rod guide 4 and the rear of the contactingpiece 17; but of course springs might equally well be mounted on the guide-rods 16 or between the piston and cylinder-head. In many instances probably no spring will be necessary to return the contacting-piece to its normal position, the air confined in the cylinder being sufficient for this purpose. The corners of the bed B and the ends of the contacting-piece 17 may be rounded, as shown, so that as the bed is sliding by the end of the piece its return to `the normal position will not be so sudden. The

air-cylinder 19 need not be carried by the map chine-frame or in direct relation to the movement of the contacting-piece. Thus in Fig. 6 the cylinder 19 is fixed in a vertical position on the iloor` or other support, the pistonrod being connected by a connecting-rod 38 with the contacting-piece 17 and with a rod 39, theupper end of which is hung in a fixed pivot 40. This piston rod being properly guided in a vertical line, a movement of the piece 17 will tend to straighten the rods 38 39 and force the piston downwardlyinto the cylinder.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the cushioning apparatus arrangedindependent of the bed is adapted to reduce the momentum of the bed as it arrives at the end of its movement in one direction and yet permit it to slide past it without in any manner aiecting the cushioning apparat-us as itmoves into its changed direction.

Other means than an air-cylinder asa cushioning apparatus may be employed with equal effect. Thus equilibrium of the beds motion may be controlled by causing it to lift a weight. Such astructure is represented in Fig. 4, wherein the contacting-piece 17 is provided with an arm 30, connected `by a cord 3l, properly guided by a pulley 32, to a weight 33, the ar- .rangement being such that when the bed contacts with the piece 17 and moves it outwardly its motion will be retarded by the act of lifting the weight 33. The edect of the weight may be increased by providing a fixed pocket 34 just large enough for the weight to pass into it. The closeness of the fit between the two will cause the air above it to resist the lifting movement of the weight and cause such movement to be more gradual. movement also will be noiseless.

A good effect will be produced by combining both the air-cushioning cylinder and the weight to one contacting-piece, the weight in which case would exert its energybefore the maximum resistance is offered by the air being compressed in the cylinder. The 'return of the contacting-piece would also be insured Its return inthe absence of the spring 3 or in event of its becoming weak.

The contacting-piece 17, instead of being a simple buder, may be so shaped as to also serve as a guide tending to change the direction of travel of the bed. The modified form u abutting against said piece and its curved portion it will tend to force it to change its `travel in the desired direction, as will be readily understood.

wiping devices now employed an'automatic yplate-polisher, as E, Figs. 1 and 3.* :This polisher consists of a pad or series of pads 36, of suitable material, mounted in a frame 37, that is provided with extending arms 38, that are mounted on studs carried eccentrically on ciprocating movement laterallyacross and in contact with the plate carried by the bed ypassed under the polisher. The plate having i been previously wiped by the wiper F, so that y the bulk of the ink on its surface will have been removed, the polisher will serve to polish theplate'thoroughly, while its polishingsurface will not be 'such as to remove the ink from the engraved lines in the plates,while it" will leave the surface clean.

The polishing effect may be aided by supplying the surface of the polisher with `Whiting, orA the latter might be applied to the surface of the plate by hand or automatically in position for the polisher to take it.

The polishing-pad maybe spring-seated, as

shown in Fig. 3, wherein the pad is provided with arms 14, embracingscrew-threaded rod13, projecting from the frame 37. The downward movement of the pad is regulated by nuts 12, upon which the, arms 14 rest, said arms being borne upon by springs 6 and their pressure regulated bynuts 7. The pads,when the polisher is made up of a series of them, may by this means be adjusted at diierent distances above the surface to be wiped or polished and the pressure be made to increase as the plates advance, according to the character of the work being done.

It is preferable to provide a cloth or other flexible material 10, passed under the polishing-pad, so that itssurface maybe from time to timev or constantly changed. Such a cloth is represented as mounted on a roll 46 and carried under the pad 36 to and around a roll 47.'

crank-disks 49."v By the revolution of these disks in unison there will be imparted to the polisher-frame and polisher an elliptical re" IOO IOS

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roll 47. The wiper F and polisher E, it will be seen, are reciprocated across the surfaceof the plate in directions at right angles to each' other. This is a very important feature in the mechanical wiping and polishing of engraved plates, as by such structure the mechanical wiping and polishing is effected approximately in the same manner as a plate is wiped in the hand manipulation-that is to say in hand-wiping where the plate is movable the plate will be first wiped or cleaned by a movement across itsface in one direction, and, being free, the hand-printer then invariably turns the plate so that it maybe wiped directly across the first-named direction, or at right angles thereto. So, too, in the structure illustrated .the plate will receive substantially the same wiping treatment automatically by mechanical means.

Vhat I claim isl. The combination, with the polygonal bed or plank, of the pneumatic cushioning` apparatuses having valves for varying their effect and each located at the end of the different planes of movement of the plank to contact with a different one of the sides of the plank as it travels in a polygonal path, substantially as described.

2. In a printing-machine wherein the bed or plate travels in a polygonal path, the combination, with the bed, of a buier located at the point of the change in the direction ofv the,bed and having a curved guiding-face,

substantially as described.

3. rIhe combination, in a plate-printing machine, of a traveling bed carrying the plate, an inking apparatus, a wiper for removing the ink from the surface of the latter,'and a moving polisher arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the wiper, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a plate-printing machine, of a traveling bed carrying the plate, aninking apparatus, a wiper having a moving cloth for removing the ink from the surface of the plate, and a polisher arranged at anangle to the longitudinal axisof the wiper, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a plate-printing machine, of a traveling bed carrying the plate, an inking apparatus, and a plurality of moving wipers with their longitudinal axes arranged at dierent` angles with respect to each other, substantially as described.

6. In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with two independent mechanical wipers, of a moving bed or plank carrying a Vplate moving under and in contact with each of said wipers and means for causing the plank to change its presenting or forward end after passing one wiper and before reaching the other, substantially as described.

7. In a plate-printing machine, the combination, with a moving bed' or plank carrying a plate, of two mechanical wipers and means for moving the wipers in paths across the surface of the plate at an angle to each other, substantially as described.

8. In a plate-printing machine, the combination of two velliptically-moving wipers and a mechanically-moving plate with means for causing the plate after passing under one of said Wipers to change its direction at right angles to its rst movement before passing under the other wiper, substantially as described. l

9. In a plate-printing machine, the combination of two mechanically-moved wipers having progressively-moved cloths and a mechanically-moved plate with means for causing the plate after passing under one of said wipers and cloths to change its direction at right angles to its first movement before passing under the other wiper and cloth, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set myy hand in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

HOMER LEE. lVitnesses:

R. P. CARROLL, JAMES SMITH. 

